Mark Mynheir

This is the first book in the Ray Quinn detective series. I received the second book from one of my review programs, so of course, I had to read the first one...first. I don't usually review the preceding books in these situations, but I actually liked The Night Watchman better than The Corruptible, so I decided to post reviews for both.

This is a "Christian" book, but Ray Quinn isn't the Christian. He's more of a smart-alec, stand-on-your-own, rogue ex-cop. His way of coping with the tragedies in his life is to spend quality time with his buddy Jim. That would be his best friend, Jim Beam.

His partner at work, and eventually in crime-solving, is the over-zealous Crevis.(Hey, I just realized that rhymes!) This is a well-written book, and I love a mystery that isn't easy to figure out, but the best part of the book is the humor. I laughed my way through this book. There is a little sadness, as Ray shares about the death of his former partner, but that's a small part. And most of the humor is at Crevis's expense. Ray really isn't the nicest guy on the block, but Mynheir writes in such a way that you have to love Ray anyway.
… (mer)

I liked this book, but not as much as the first one in the series, The Night Watchman. Apparently, there is some deficiency in my character because the main reason I prefer the first one is that Ray has mellowed a little and he doesn't take quite as many verbal shots at Crevis in The Corruptible. This book is still funny and the crime/mystery aspect is very well done. I'm enjoying watching the relationships build between Ray, who would prefer to be on his own if everyone would just leave him alone, and Pam and Crevis. Ray is also creeping a little closer to God. Oh, and there is the ongoing email exchange with a South African spammer.

My favorite passage in the book is a conversation between Oscar, Ray's former police chief, and Ray.
**"I'll be on my best behavior." I raised my right hand.
"I don't want your 'best' behavior," he said. "I want better behavior. Much better. No tasering witnesses, impromptu wiretaps, hacking computers, or transporting prisoners in your trunk. You need to do everything right."
I had forgotten about the prisoner in the trunk.**

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.… (mer)